The Old Wizard
by christos200
Summary: Arthur faces the greatest challenge of his life when Morgana leads a Saxon army against his Kingdom. Only Merlin can help him but he has lost his magic. Merlin soon finds out that the price for restoring his magic is to sacrifice his youth. (It is set in episode 12 of the last season and provides an alternative outcome)
1. Sir Percival leads the Cavalry

Arthur faces the greatest challenge of his life when Morgana leads a Saxon army against his Kingdom. Only Merlin can help him but he has lost his magic. Merlin soon finds out that the price for restoring his magic is to sacrifice his youth. (It is set in episode 12 of the last season and provides an alternative outcome)

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 **The Old Wizard  
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 **Chapter 1 -** **Sir Percival leads the Cavalry**

 _Arthur's chambers_

Camlann. Arthur had decided that it was there where he would face and, hopefully at least, defeat Morgana's forces. Even though he had made this decision and had given orders to Sir Leon to prepare the troops of Camelot for combat, he still wasn't sure if he had made the right decision. Although it was the only place aside from Camelot itself where he could check Morgana's army, it could easily become a death trap for him and his troops. But he knew that this was the only way Camelot and its people could be spared of the horrors of war. He always put the wellbeing of his people before his own safety and this time was not to be an exception.

While Arthur was thinking about the battle lying ahead, Merlin walked into the room. "Arthur", he said with a stern face. Arthurn, who up until Merlin spoke had not noticed his presence as he was lost in his thoughts, replied, "Will you ever learn to knock the door?"

Merlin smiled. "Will try to remember it next time."

"If there is a next time…", Arthur murmured and sighed.

"There will be. I am sure of that."

"How so?", Arthur wondered.

Merlin grinned. "You might be somewhat bigheaded but you are brave, loyal and you put the welfare of your people before your own safety. You represent righteousness and all that is good while Morgana represents cruelty and all that is evil. And evil can never triumph over good. As such I believe that you will win. You cannot lose simply because righteousness cannot lose to injustice, light cannot be defeated by darkness."

Arthurn was genuinely surprised by Merlin's speech. "Where did you learn to be such a good orator?"

Merlin laughed for a moment but then his face became stern once again. "I wish you good luck. I will not be able to accompany you to Camlann."

"What?!"

"I… Gaius wants me to gather herbs. He is going to need a lot of them if he is to cure the wounded in the battle ahead."

Arthur couldn't believe his ears.

"Are you seriously telling me that you are going to be picking herbs when the most decisive battle of this war is going to be fought?"

"Yes", Merlin replied with an awkward smile. "It's not like I could be of much assistance anyway. Remember, I am useless with the sword."

"Alright", a disappointed Arthur said. "Despite all I said about you being a coward, I genuinely thought that you were the bravest person I've ever met. Yet you prove me to be wrong. It seems that you are a coward."

Merlin wanted to say something but he could find no words to say. He did not want Arthur to believe that he was abandoning him in his most crucial challenge yet because he was a coward. Yet he could not possibly reveal to Arthur that his true mission was to find a way to recover his magic. As such, he said nothing and walked out of the room.

 _A few hours later_

The sun had given its place to the moon and the bright light of the day was replaced by the pitch darkness of the night. Yet Arthur was still in his room, still thinking about the upcoming battle with Morgana and her Saxon forces. He was utterly lost in his thoughts and it was a knocking of the door that brought him back to the present. "Come in!"

Sir Leon walked inside and greeted his King. He then said, "The supplies are ready. I have enlisted all horses and carts of Camelot into the army and they will carry as much supplies as possible to the battlefield."

"Those supplies are vital for the war effort but they will slow down the army. I fear that this might give the chance to Morgana to occupy first Camlann, thus preventing me from stopping her there. Yet, I cannot abandon the supplies. An army marches on its stomach and we will not last long without supplies."

"So, what are we going to do?"

Arthur remained silent for a moment and then replied. "Send a detachment of cavalry under Sir Percival to Camlann. He is to set up a defensive position in the area and not attack the Saxon army, no matter how much they provoke him. He will have to hold the area until the main force and the supplies arrive."

 _Four days later, Camlann_

Tranquility. That word could describe Camlann right before the battle. There was complete silence interrupted only by the melody of the birds' chirping. Yet this tranquility was not to last long. The sound of horses riding shook the place. It was a cavalry detachment led by Sir Percival. They were riding day and night, doing their best to reach Camlann before the Saxons could. They were all exhausted and sweating but they would not stop.

"Men, I know you are tired!", Percival declared. "But we are almost there and soon you will be able to get a whole day to rest."

Percival had spoken too soon. A Saxon cavalry force had already reached the place and unless Percival and his men could force them to retreat, the battle would be lost even before it had properly begun.

"It seems that we will have some fun beating those Saxon bastards!", a smiling Percival said in an attempt to cheer up his troops.

The Camelot cavalrymen, with swords at hands, charged ferociously at the Saxons. Thankfully for them, the Saxons too had just arrived and so did not have the time to properly fortify. In fact, they had been caught by surprise. The Camelot cavalrymen cut down the Saxons and the cries of the dead and wounded filled the place. Percival himself, with his almost superhuman strength, killed tens of Saxons with swift blows of his sword and continued killing them even after his horse had been killed and he was forced to fight on foot. Soon, the ground was littered with dead bodies and Camlann was silent once more. Percival had won the day and his forces occupied the place. Now, he only had to hold on for a day until the main force and the supplies could arrive.


	2. The girl and the bandits

Adopt The Orange, thanks for the review.

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 **Chapter 2 - The girl and the bandits**

 _Valley of the Fallen Kings_

Merlin and Gwaine were hiding behind a rock among the countless of trees of the forest. They had spotted a camp of bandits. Gaius was right to have advised Merlin to bring Gwaine with him. If he hadn't done so, he would have been dead by now. The Valley of the Fallen Kings was strife with every kind of criminals: bandits, smugglers, even evil sorcerers. A journey there was not to be taken lightly, especially since Merlin could not use his magic.

"See!", Gwaine whispered to Merlin. "They are preparing to leave. It seems that we've been lucky and that we will not have to fight them."

The bandits were relative few; only five. Nevertheless, neither Merlin nor Gwaine wanted to risk a fight if they could avoid it.

"Indeed. I-"

Merlin was interrupted by the scream of a woman. He turned his sight to the bandits and saw that one of them was bringing a young girl to the camp.

"I never thought that I would find such a beautiful girl in this god forsaken place!", the bandit said and laughed.

"We are brothers in arms!", another bandit said, "We should share the spoils."

"She is mine!", the other bandit retorted. "I found her and I will enjoy her!"

"I'm your elder, so she is mine!"

At that moment, Gwaine rushed out of his hiding place and jumped onto the bandits' camp. "Sorry to interrupt you", he said, "but the girl belongs to neither of you."

One of the bandits approached him and asked, "Who the hell are you?"

"The one who beats your ass!", Gwaine replied and punched his fist on the bandit's face, knocking him out. The other bandits drew their swords and charged at Gwaine but he too had unsheathed his sword and defended himself. With swift swordsmanship, he was able to cut down one after the other the bandits but he had not noticed that one of them had gotten behind him and was about to stab him in the back. Thankfully, Merlin did. He rushed out of his hiding place, with a rock in his hands, and crushed the rock on the bandit's head.

"Not bad.", Gwaine said. "Not bad at all."

He then turned to the girl and said, "Are you all right?"

"Yes... I'm fine", the girl replied. She was crying and looked pitiful.

"I'm glad to hear that.", Gwaine said and smiled. "What were you doing here in the first place? This place is dangerous even for the most battle hardened warriors, let alone a young girl like you."

"I… I was here gathering some herbs for my father and got lost. Hero, can you take me back to my home please?"

"I would like to but I have a task to do first."

"Please… I am scared of being all alone in this forest."

While Gwaine was all too ready to believe the story of a girl, especially a beautiful one, Merlin was more cautious. He had seen too much all those years to trust anyone and he had a feeling that this girl was lying. But, on the other hand, he could not abandon the girl to this dangerous forest.

"Merlin, do you mind if she comes with us?", Gwaine asked.

"She may come with us…", was the half-hearted reply of Merlin. He knew he was going to regret this but had no choice.

"We will first go to a place nearby", Gwaine said to the girl, "and then I shall take you home."

"Thank you!", the girl, smiling, replied and hugged Gwaine.

 _Camlann_

Percival was in his tent, sitting in his office and looking at some papers regarding the reports of his scouts about Morgana's army when one of his cavalry officers, named James, walked into the tent.

"Sir", he said, "a Saxon envoy wishes to speak with you."

Percival was somewhat surprised. He knew that Morgana hated Arthur and had no intention of solving their disputes through diplomacy, so why would she send an envoy to them?

The Saxon envoy walked into the tent, holding a box in his hands. "My Lady has asked me to bring you a gift.", he said and placed the box on Percival's office. Percival opened the box and saw that inside were women's clothes.

"What is the meaning of this?", an angry Percival asked.

"Since you do not come out to fight us and you hide here like a coward, my Lady believes that those dresses will come handy to you."

Percival roared. He kicked his office, walked forward and grabbed the Saxon. He was going to beat him up when James stepped forward and stopped him. "Sir, he is an envoy. You must let him go."

Percival, trembling in anger, indeed let the envoy leave. He then turned to James and said, "We cannot allow Morgana to deride us. We have to do something! Otherwise, we will bring shame to Camelot!"

"That is what Morgana wants, sir.", James replied. "She wants to provoke you to abandon this defensive position. You must not fall in her trap. The King has ordered you to remain here no matter how much they provoke you."

Percival sighed. "You are right…"

 _Valley of the Fallen Kings_

Three hours later, Merlin, Gwaine and the girl had reached the crystal cave. Thankfully, they had not encountered any other bandits in their way nor had they met any other danger.

"Thank you for your help.", Merlin said to Gwaine.

Gwaine laughed. "It was nothing. You know me. I cannot miss the fun of walking into one of the most dangerous forests of Camelot. I love action."

"I know you do but be when you go to battle, be careful."

"I'll be. Anyway, good luck in whatever you are doing."

Merlin rushed into the cave when he heard the girl saying, "Good luck Merlin. You are going to need it."

Suddenly, the girl began chanting a spell and the opening of the cave collapsed before Merlin could get out, thus trapping him inside. Gwaine, seeing that the girl was a sorceress, was about to draw his sword but the girl cast another spell and pushed him against a tree, causing his head to bleed and making him lose his consciousness.

"You are charming, Gwaine.", the girl said. "Too bad you are a Knight of Camelot."


	3. The price for magic

Guest, thanks for the review.

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 **Chapter 3 - The price for magic**

 _Crystal Cave_

'I knew that we shouldn't have trusted her!'

Those words dominated Merlin's thoughts. He was trapped inside the cave while he had no idea what that girl had done to Gwaine. But most of all, he was angry with himself. He knew that the girl could not be trusted and that her story was fishy, but he hadn't said anything. Now he was stuck in this cave. With no magic, he would be trapped here and slowly starve to death. The only way to save both his and Arthur's life would be to restore his magical powers.

"I hope Gaius was right about this place or this will be my grave…", Merlin murmured.

Merlin walked slowly inside the cave. The cave was pitch dark and Merlin could barely see where he was walking or on what he was stepping. He was sure that he had at least twice stepped on bones, possibly of raiders from past ages who had underestimated the dangers of this place. But what chilled Merlin the most was the silence that dominated the place. It was like a graveyard.

Thankfully for him, after walking for about thirty minutes, he finally reached the place where the crystals were stored. Darkness was replaced by the bright light of the crystals and he could see once again. "That's better.", he said. "At least I can see where I am walking. Now all I have to do is to discover a way to recover my magic. But how?"

Merlin was not sure what exactly he was supposed to do. He knew that magic itself was said to have been born in this place and that this was the only place where he could hope to recover his powers, but he had no idea as to what he was expected to do. Would he look at the crystals, meditate, believe in himself or was he supposed to do something else entirely? It was at that moment that he heard a female voice talking to him.

"Young warlock, why have you come to this place?", the voice asked.

Merlin looked around but did not see anyone. Was it a goddess or a spirit that was talking to him? Or was it a sorceress? He wasn't sure but there was one thing that was certain: the sound of that voice was pleasant and even melodic.

"I am looking for a way to recover my magic!"

"Why do you need your magic?"

"To protect Arthur!", Merlin replied. "He is not just my friend; he is also the most noble and great King of those lands. If he dies, no one will be able to stop Morgana from unleashing an era of unprecedented tyranny, oppression and darkness in Albion."

"I can restore your magic. But there is a price you must pay. Are you willing to pay it?"

"I am!", Merlin said without thinking at all about the price he would have to pay. "For my friends and good of Camelot, I am willing to pay any price, no matter how heavy it may be."

The voice laughed. "You are indeed noble. But think before agreeing to my request. I want you to sacrifice your youth. If you agree, you will become at once old and this can never change. No matter what spell you cast or what potion you drink, you will never be able to change your appearance and become youthful again. You will be an old man."

Merlin sighed. But he was not going to put himself before the safety of Camelot and Arthur. "I….agree to your request."

Suddenly, Merlin was surrounded by a strange light which engulfed him. The light was so bright that he had to close his eyes. When he opened once again his eyes, he was an old man. He had used the aging spell before and had more than once pretended to be an old wizard, but this time he _really_ was an old wizard.

 _Valley of the Fallen Kings_

"My head hurts…"

Those were first words Gwaine uttered once he regained his consciousness. His head had stopped bleeding, but he had a terrible headache. With great pain, he finally managed to get up. "How the hell am I supposed to meet up with Arthur when I am in such a condition?", he wondered. It was at that moment when he heard a loud sound. The rocks blocking the entrance to the crystal cave were shattered and an old man walked out of the cave. Gwaine recognized him: he was the old sorcerer that had eluded Arthur's men for so long.

"Do all sorcerers have a meeting in this place or what?", Gwaine said. "I barely survived one sorcerer and now I have to face another?"

"We have no time to lose.", Merlin shouted. "We have to meet up with Arthur and help him defeat Morgana."

"Firstly, why should I trust you when I know you oppose Arthur and, secondly, where is Merlin?"

"Merlin is all right. I have no time to explain everything to you but you must trust me. If we are late, Arthur will die."

Gwaine drew his sword and pointed it at Merlin's chest. "You will have to give me a damn good reason for me to trust you or I will strike you down."

Merlin sighed. "I want you to trust me because we are friends. I am…Merlin."

Gwaine laughed so hard that the whole forest could hear them. "And I am Arthur."

"No, seriously. I _am_ Merlin."

"Have you gone senile old man or what?"

Merlin began chanting a spell. Hearing this Gwaine was about strike down the old man but suddenly felt that his head no longer ached. He touched his head and realized that it was not wounded anymore; it had healed.

"If I am your enemy", Merlin said, "why did I heal you?"

"Alright, I shall allow you to come with me to Camlann but if you do anything funny during the journey or the battle, I will not spare you."

 _Camlann, Saxon camp_

Mordred rushed into Morgana's tent. She was talking with a young girl, Irine, the young sorceress who had trapped Merlin in the crystal cave. She was telling Morgana about her success in preventing Merlin from regaining his powers. Morgana saw that Mordred had something to tell her and asked him, "What is it?"

"Arthur's army has arrived in Camlann and they have set up defensive positions. It seems that we will have to fight them here."

"They arrived faster than I expected them to."

"Arthur's army marched day and night without rest.", Mordred replied. "I told you that the army of Camelot is no ordinary one. Its soldiers are the bravest and toughest men I've ever seen."

Morgana smiled. "Maybe but they will not last long. I have found a long forgotten passage, which even most of the locals did not knew it existed, and which will allow us to outflank Arthur's army. When his army is surrounded, you will have the perfect chance to kill him and avenge the death of your beloved one."

Mordred clenched his fists. He could not hold back his tears. "It will be my pleasure to rid the world of this hypocritical scum who pretends to be righteous but in reality is a ruthless and bloodthirsty tyrant like his father."


	4. Duel to the death

Gu Long and MerlinArthur200, thanks for your reviews.

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 **Chapter 4 - Duel to the death**

 _Camlann_

The fateful day that would decide the fate of Camelot had finally arrived. Arthur knew that if he lost this battle, it would not only mean the end of his reign but also the destruction of Camelot and the establishment of a tyrannical and evil regime. As such, he was quite nervous and felt that the burden he had to carry was too heavy. But he could not abandon his people to their fate and he had to do his duty.

He was on horseback that day and riding before his soldiers. He was not very good with words but he knew that he had to encourage his soldiers if they were to fight as best as they could. "Soldiers, today we do not fight for a border territory or for glory. Today we fight for our freedom, we fight to protect our homeland and our families and friends. If we lose this battle, Morgana and her goons will usher an era of unprecedented tyranny and oppression and our beloved ones will be at their mercy. We have to fight on and give our lives so that the ones we love may live a peaceful life. For the love of Camelot!"

"For the love of Camelot!", all the soldiers shouted in unison. Arthur could see in their eyes that all of them were determined to either win or die trying.

It was at that moment when the Saxon army began its march against the Camelot forces. The Saxon infantrymen, armed with axes and swords, charged at their enemy with ferociousness and speed. Although not as disciplined as the soldiers of Camelot, the Saxons were brave warriors and more than a match for Arthur's men.

The two armies collided and brutal fighting ensued. Horses and men were being killed in the most brutal ways. The screams of men dying echoed across the battlefield. The ground was filled with dead bodies and pools of blood. For a while it seemed as there was no clear winner but the Camelot soldiers were slowly but steadily pushing back the Saxons.

Arthur, who was fighting on horseback and was in the midst of the action, was smiling. It seemed that the battle was going to be a victory for Camelot. Suddenly he heard Percival shouting, "bad news!". He turned around and saw Percival riding as fast as he could towards him.

"The Saxons have outflanked us!", a sweating and bleeding Percival shouted.

"What?!"

Arthur could not believe in his ears. His army could not fight a two front battle and would surely collapse sooner or later. Would Camlann be the death trap of Camelot's army? It certainly seemed so to Arthur and he was furious. "How could I have not found out that path?!". He felt that he had failed his men and led them to their death. But he was not going to give up.

"Percival", he said, "gather as many of the Knights and elite cavalry forces and follow me. If I am to die, I will at least kill as many enemies as possible."

Arthur and his Knights charged at the Saxons and cut them down in the tens. But they could not defeat an entire army on their own. Their horses were killed underneath them and they were forced to fight on foot. Sir Leon had even had his sword broken and was fighting with his bare hands. Only a miracle could save Arthur and his men from certain death.

Suddenly, clouds blocked the sun and lighting struck the Saxon soldiers. Huge swathes of fire appeared out of nowhere and engulfed the Saxons, burning them alive. Arthur heard the voice of an elderly man chanting spells. He turned his sight to the hills on his left and saw Gwaine and an elderly sorcerer on top of one of the hills.

Gwaine too was impressed with the sorcerer. "That's pretty cool magic you've got.", he said to Merlin.

Merlin was too focused on the battle to hear what Gwaine had said and so did not reply. Instead, he continued chanting spells which brought death and destruction to the Saxon army. The Saxons, panicked and totally scared, began fleeing the battlefield in an attempt to rescue their lives. Unlike the Camelot soldiers, they were not fighting for their homeland and so they were less willing to lay down their lives for a cause which now seemed hopeless.

Arthur laughed and with renewed courage charged at the retreating enemies and cut them down. But his mood changed when he saw Mordred approaching him. Although the young man had betrayed him, they had been friends and Arthur was deeply saddened that he would have to duel with him and was unwilling to kill him. He still hoped that he could somehow persuade him to lay down his arms and come back to Camelot.

"Mordred", he said, "do not force me to fight you. We were friends once."

"Once!", Mordred shouted. "I was loyal to you and considered you to be the noblest person I've ever met. But you betrayed me! By killing the woman I loved, you severed all ties with me. The time for words has long passed by. Now it is the time for action!"

Mordred charged forward with his sword. Arthur raised his sword and the two swords collided. A loud clang sound was heard and it seemed as the earth shook. Their swords clashed again and again, each time more ferociously. It seemed that the duel would go on forever, when a Saxon soldier attempted to stab at the back Arthur. The young King managed to dodge his enemy's sword and killed him, but this distraction cost him; Mordred found the chance to slash with his sword Arthur's chest. Arthur shouted in pain and his sword fell from his hands. He was in Mordred's mercy. Mordred hesitated a bit but when the image of his beloved dying came to his mind, he hesitated no more. He struck at Arthur but before he could kill him a fire ball hit his back and engulfed him in fire. Arthur took the chance to grab one of the many swords scattered on the ground and, with tears in his eyes, stabbed Mordred. He then collapsed on the ground due to exhaustion, both physical and emotional.

The one who had hit Mordred with the fire ball was none other than Merlin. As soon as the Saxon army had begun scattering, Merlin rushed to the battlefield searching for Arthur and thankfully found him just when Mordred was about to kill him.

Seeing his friend lying on the ground, Merlin rushed to his side. Could Mordred have killed Arthur? Were the prophecies of Arthur's death in Camlann true? Those questions haunted Merlin. He was unable to hold back his tears despite his attempt to remain calm. He immediately checked Arthur's wounds.

"You cannot die!", he shouted. "You still have a lot to do!"

Merlin chanted a spell but the wounds could not be healed. The sword Mordred had used was enhanced with dragon's fire. Only a dragon could heal Arthur. Meanwhile Gwaine, who had followed Merlin to the battlefield, rushed too to Arthur's side and frantically asked, "Is he going to be all right?"

"I am going to make sure that he is.", a determined Merlin said. He then shouted words which Gwaine could not understand. Gwaine assumed that the 'old sorcerer' was chanting a spell. Suddenly he saw on the sky a dragon flying.

"What is a dragon doing here?!", Gwaine asked.

"I called him here.", Merlin replied. "He is the only one who can heal Arthur."

The great dragon landed nearby and asked, "What you wish of me young warlock?"

'Young?', Gwaine thought. 'Is this dragon blind or what?'

"I want you to help me heal Arthur.", Merlin said. "He has been wounded with a sword enhanced with dragon's fire and only you can save him."

"I will my best.", the great dragon said. "But success is not guaranteed."

"I know. But please, you must try."

Arthur was more to Merlin than just a mere friend. Merlin's destiny was to serve Arthur. Without Arthur, Merlin could see no meaning to his life. If Arthur died, Merlin would never be able to forgive himself for his failure to protect him. So one can imagine the joy he felt when the great dragon successfully healed Arthur's wounds. He could find no words to express his gratitude to the dragon. He could only say a "thank you."

"It was nothing.", the dragon assured him. "Bring him back to Camelot. He must rest if he is to fully recover."


End file.
